Unique Love
by Sora Nelson
Summary: She never knew herself...until she stood up for herself and when she met him.
1. Changed

**Sora's POV**

Riding in a car always makes me feel good. I love when I go to different places; I hate staying in one place for too long. For the past two months I've been living with my "real parents". I don't consider them my real, my time with them was miserable. I'm adopted, so my adoptive parents thought it would be nice for me to spend time with the people who gave me up. So here I am two months later, in the car with my "real" dad, driving the long trip home from Longview to Seattle, Washington.

We were just entering Forks, when my all of a sudden, my dad starts his bitch fit. "Wipe that smug look off your face, it's starting to irritate me," he said in a stern voice.

Man I wanted to punch him. "Don't talk to me like you're my father. You gave me up, remember? I didn't even want to spend time with you!" This has been our regular routine for the past two months.

Suddenly, my dad pulls to the side of the bridge we were on and glared at me. "I'm tired of your attitude Sora. Find your own way home because I don't care anymore."

"You never cared," I stared at him with the same hard glare. And just as quickly as i could blink, he unbuckled me, opened my door, and threw me out with just my backpack. He sped off as i tumbled down the hill and into the river. I could barely breath because I've been sick for a couple of weeks now. I swam for my life and spotted my backpack hanging on a branch just close enough for me to reach. I quickly grabbed it and pulled myself to shore.

Now for some reason, I felt dizzy and I couldn't breath. I was shaking all over, but I wasn't sure if that was because of the water...or something entirely different. I had to find help, so I started walking through the unfamiliar woods. My vision started going blurry and it felt funny to walk, but I kept going. Out of nowhere, this man with no shirt on appears from the opposite side of the woods. My heart felt like it was going to burst, this man was gorgeous! I fell to my knees and grabbed his wrist, so I could tell him my dim plee, "Help me..." Then all went black.


	2. Finding Snow

**Jacob's POV**

Today was the perfect day to go running. A light breeze, no clouds, and dry land.

_Jake, I told you you didn't have to run patrol, _my alpha told me in my mind.

_I know, but it's a great day and I wanted to take advantage of it. You should take a run too._

_No thanks. Don't stay out too long. Remember tonight...don't tire yourself out._

_Fine,_ and at that I changed back into my human form and headed back. Being a werewolf has its upsides and downsides. I hate that my pack can read what I'm thinking while I'm a wolf, so I have to...lets say think before thinking, if that makes any sense. At that thought I laughed. One upside is the rush! You can never get tired of running at top speed and feeling the wind through your hair or fur. Then again, maybe that's just me.

As i was heading back to La Push to meet my alpha, I heard harsh and shallow breathing. Then I saw the most beautiful girl, more beautiful than Bella Swan, who I thought was my true love. This girl had wavey auburn hair down to the middle of her back and a great body. She was staring at me with the most peculiar looking eyes: light purple but a little pink, both mixed together...they were gorgeous.

While I was admiring her features, she fell to her knees and grasped my wrist. _This girl must be really sick._ Her eyes were glazed over and she said in the weakest voice, "Help me..." than she fainted. I was shocked at what I saw next. Right before my eyes, she turned into a snow white wolf! I knew then, this girl would now be a member of our pack.

As quickly as I could, I transformed back into my wolf and maneuvered her onto my back. I saw her backpack a few steps away, so I picked it up and took off at top speed. There was only one place I could think of where she would be totally safe. Surely he would know what to do.


	3. Lucky

Sam came running out of his house. _Oh so he _did_ feel my distress. _"What happened? Who is this? And why-" He cut off suddenly when he actually looked at her. His eyes went wide, like he was experiencing how the Earth was made. I waited for him to go on. "Is she a new member of the pack?" I nodded. "Bring her inside," he commanded urgently.

Luckily, she transformed back into her human form._ Well this'll be much easier._ I transformed back and carried her inside. He told me to simply put her in his spare bedroom. I felt horrible as she was still naked, but then I remembered the backpack. _Hopefully she brought spare clothes._ Her pack contained a bikini, a jacket, jean shorts, booty shorts, a tanktop, and sneakers. _Perfect!_

After I dressed her, trying my hardest not to admire her naked form, I went back to Sam. "Okay, tell me what's going on." It was fortunate that only Sam, me, and the girl were at the house. _Where's Emily? Not important!_

"That girl..." Sam started, but trailed off.

"Go on," I said.

"Do you remember the legend...of the pack finding a certain wolf who...gave them good luck?" I nodded. "Do you remember what color that wolf was?"

I thought about it, could i remember that far back? My Grandfather said somthing about it...then realization hit me, "White!" Sam nodded. "So that girl I found, is the one we've been...desiring?"

"Not exactly desiring, but basically the same. It was fortunate _you_ stumbled upon her, instead of an enemy. She will be a great member to have in our pack," Sam finished with a smile.

I couldn't hold it back anymore. The moment he said she was a member of the pack, my joy overpowered me. "I IMPRINTED ON HER!" _Oops. _Sam didn't say anything for a long time. And this was not a good sign. Clearly, he was deep in thought.

Finally he said, "Don't tell her yet. Give her time to get to know you, and to get to know herself. I guarantee she'll be overwhelmed when she wakes up."

I understood where he was coming from, so I just nodded in agreement. Then, the most spine curling scream came from where she was. I instantly ran to her. She seemed fine, but she was still screaming. I think she was having a nightmare because her eyes were still closed. She was yelling things like, "Don't kill me!" and, "I'm sorry!"

Instinctively, I went over to her and grabbed her hand. I tryed my hardest to soothe her and after a few seconds, she was calm again. I hadn't realized I'd been holding my breathe until I let it out.I let go of her hand, but she started gasping, I knew I had to stay with her. _Am I making her so calm? Sweet!_ Thinking that it wasn't appropriate to just climb into bed with her, I pulled up a chair and sat.

Eventually Sam left me and the mystery girl alone. She was breathing deep and quietly, and that made me real happy. Until she figures out about imprinting, the time from here to then is going to be agonizing. But, she only needs a friend right now, someone to trust...I'm glad to just give her that. Soon enough, I fell asleep, listening to my soul-mate's slow breathing.


	4. Meeting and Joining

**Sora's POV**

_I saw a wolf, a beautiful wolf with snow white fur and pinkish, purple eyes. _Wait minute, is that me?_ Before I was able to ask, the wolf started to disappear. I started running after her, but she was too fast._

I opened my eyes to a room I've never seen before. The walls were log cabin petterened, and the doors were all dark brown. To my left, there was a full body mirror hanging by a small closet. The bed I was laying on was a comfy queen size with red and brown sheets that had tribal symbols on it. Surprsingly, this room felt...homey. I feel like I've been here before.

I heard light snoring coming from my right. I turned and found a man holding my hand. _Weird... _I quickly realized that this was the man I saw in the woods! My hand jerked at the memory, and the man slowly began to awake. _Crap, crap, crap! _I jumped off of the bed and slammed into the wall in a defensive position. I obviously startled him because he quickly straightened up and looked guilty and embarrassed. _Really weird. Why is he so embarrassed?_ He gave me a shy smile and waved at me...not meeting my gaze.

"Umm..." was all he could say, so I started my questioning.

"Who are you? Where am I? And...why were you holding my hand, I don't even know you." Now this may have sounded slow, but I actually blurted it out all togehter. I'm not even sure if he understood what I just said.

"Lets try these questions one at a time alright," he said. Good, he did hear it all. I nodded, telling him to proceed. "My name is Jacob Black."

He stopped and looked at me expectingly. _Oh, my turn. _"Oh, uh, my name?" He nodded. _Duh!_ What is wrong with me, I never act this way. "I'm Sora Nelson." That was my name, right? Yes, yes it was.

"That's a very pretty name," he said and smiled the most amazing smile I've ever seen. Surprisingly, I blushed. _Damn! I never blush! What the hell!_

"Thanks...so second question. Where am I?"

"Your at my alp- my friend Sam's house. I rescued you from dying in the woods; you seemed pretty sick. I thought this would be a safe place for you."

"What-" I paused and took a deep breath. "What exactly...happened? In the woods i mean." Hesitation is a very bad sign for me. I braced myself for the answer.

"I'm going to tell you something extremely important Sora, and I need you to not ask anything while I'm telling you this. Please?" Wow, straight forward. He was waiting for my answer. Finally, I nodded. Might as well start _not _talking.

"Okay...I'm just going to come right out and say it," he paused. _Is it that bad? _"You're a werewolf and, if you want to, your are a member of the pack. I know you've probably read tons of books about them and other mythical creatures," actually I haven't, but my friends back home always told me what they've read, "and I'm here to tell you, it's all true. But it's a secret to humans, only certain ones know like impr- I mean family members and very good friends." He looked away looking guilty again. _Ouch! _Not only am I weird in general, but now this happens..._great!_

He waited for me to process all this new information then continued. "Basically when you get too angry or, like you've already experienced, your body gets too strained, you transform into a wolf. I can teach you how to control your emotions though. Sam- who's house we're in- is alpha, meaning he's the leader of the pack. There are six other members, but I don't think it's a good idea for you to meet them right now"

I was silent for a while, but he obviously knew what I was thinking about: Do I want to be in a "pack"? Would I ever get to go home and see my family again? Can I trust him and this other stranger, Sam?

After a long thought process that made my head hurt, I finally came to a conclusion. "Alright," I said, "I'll join your pack." His face lit up like an excited child, which I thought was adorable. "But," I added quickly before I forgot, "I want to meet your pack leader. Sam."

Just then, a man came into the room. _Was he eavesdropping? _He seemed nice, but still powerful and influential. This guy and I will have to get used to eachother.

"Hello Sora," he said politely. "My name is Sam Uley."

"Hello Sam," was all I could say. Man was he intimidating.

"As Jacob might've told you, I am the leader of this pack. And I just want you to know that you can stay here as long as you like, and I welcome you to our pack."

"Oh, thank you so much." Well that takes care of the living situation. I felt guilty that I was barging into his home and not giving him anything in return, so I added, "I will work to pay off my housing."

"Extra patrol runs usually does the trick," he said and winked at me. Sam and I were gonna get along just fine.

"So, when do I get to-" but I didn't finish. A pain so excrutiating shot down my spine, making me crumple to the floor. This always happens when I stand too long, but it's never felt like _this _before!

"What's going on? Sam, what should we do," I heard Jacob ask in a frantic voice. _Why does he care so much?_

"Put her on the bed...on her stomach!" Sam said. "I think I can fix this."


	5. Healing

**Sam's POV**

"Hello Sora," I said as politely as I thought I was being. "My name is Sam Uley." I had to think twice about sticking my hand out to shake, she may not want to do that yet.

She seemed uncomfortable, maybe because this is all so new and strange to her. God knows it was to me. "Hello Sam," she replied in a small voice.

"As Jacob might've told you, I am the leader of this pack. And I just wanted to say that you can stay here as long as you like, and I welcome you to our pack."

"Oh, thank you so much," she said. "But," she added quickly, "I will work to pay off my housing."

I like this girl, she's a hard worker. I could tell that she was a strong and stubborn girl, so arguing would be useless anyway. "Extra patrol runs usually does the trick," I smiled and winked at her. Maybe if I act loose, then she'll get closer to us. It seemed to work because she gave me a big smile.

Of course, Jacob was beaming behind her. I gave him a look that told him to tone it down a bit...he stuck his tongue out at me. _What a child._

"So..." Sora began to say, snapping my attention back to more important matters, "when do I get to-" her voice shook, then she started screaming. I didn't understand what was going on! She fell to the ground screaming, "My back, my back!"

My eyes moved to Sora's area of distress and I saw...specks? I blinked, but they were still around her. All of a sudden, they clumped together in different areas on her her back. _Are they showing me where she's hurt?_

I got hit by something at that moment, some sort of vision. It showed me (_wait me?)_ laying Sora on her stomach on the bed. I started to feel her back, and everytime I stopped, I hit her towards her spine. What does this mean? Is this how the good luck works? I CAN'T WORRY ABOUT THAT NOW! Her spine might have fragments scattered. I came back to reality in an instant.

"What's going on? Sam, what should we do?" Jake yelled at me. He's no help when he's like this, but I needed him.

"Calm down and put her on the bed...on her stomach! I think I l know how fix this." I really hope I'm right, too.

Jake, not caring about being gentle at the moment, swiftly moved her from the floor to the bed. She was trying to hold back her screams, which only made her situation sound more awful. I needed to do this quick.

"I'm sorry sweety, but this is going to hurt," I whispered. Mainly I was trying to give myself a pep talk. Will this work? "This'll help the pain...hopefully." I found a sharp bump in her back and hit it towards her spine, just like the vision showed me. She squealed, but I could tell that she felt a little better. _Sheaw! It worked! _There were a few more bumps like that, but each time I sent them back towards her spine. Jacob watched me in aw, and eventually Sora said she didn't hurt anymore and I didnt find anymore bumps.

I told her to lay there so her back could heal. "I'll be right back," I said. She smiled and my heart warmed at the sight of that. I grabbed Jacob and went to the kitchen.

"What the hell was that?" Jacob asked. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out; I couldn't form the words. "Sam! You have to tell me!"

I finally realized what I should tell him. Two very important and meaningful words. I looked him straight in the eyes and said, "Good. Luck." Viola. There's the answer.

I think he wanted me to elaborate, but knew I wouldn't. It wouldn't be a good idea to tell him about what I saw, he wouldn't understand. Heck! _I_ didn't even understand. So, he went back to Sora, I might as well give them some time alone.


	6. Comforting

**Sora's POV**

I braced myself for the pain I was about to face. Sam felt around my back, then hit me! I couldn't hold this scream back, but after the impact came a small amount of relief. _How does he know what to do?_

He did this a couple more times, all the while Jacob was letting me squeeze the crap out of his hand. Somehow, holding this stranger...comforted me. How could that be? I could see his worried expression change to an amazed one just then.

After somemore feeling and hitting, Sam said that my back would be fine and I felt better already. Then he said, "I'll be right back." I smiled back, genuinely this time. He pulled Jake away from me so he could follow. Then, I was alone.

Every second that past I could feel myself healing; it was a tingling sensation massaging my back. Well hell! Jake never told me I had super healing abilities! _I definately need to learn more about being a werewolf._ Within five minutes, I felt good enough to stand up. I lifted myself, there was a quiet _pop!_ing sound, but that only made my back feel better. _Amazing!_

I looked in the mirror and noticed...I look awful, no exaggeration. I cleaned myself up and crawled back into bed feeling very tired all of the sudden. I was just getting under the covers when Jacob came back in. It was unexpected, but my mood was instantly lifted at the sight of him. I caught mysef smiling and looked down blushing; that's been happening a lot lately. I looked back up and he was blushing too and I giggled.

"How come you didn't tell me we could heal so fast? I feel wonderful!" And I did, this was the absolute truth.

"I guess I was trying to fill you in on the basics that it just slipped my mind. Sorry," he said embarrassed, yet again. _What is he so embarrassed about?_ I blushed and tore away from his almost black eyes. _This just isn't me!_

"Oh. Well...is there anything else I should know?"

He looked like he was fighting to tell me something important, but he changed his mind and told me something else instead. "Oh!" he exclaimed. Not so very good at acting I see. "There is one more thing." I waited, he was trying to phrase it right, it seemed. "When your in your wolf form, and someone else from the pack is at the same time...whoever is a wolf can hear what your thinking. So some good advice from _Jacob's Werewolf Handbook _is to think before you...think?" He gave me a serious look. I couldn't help it, I just bursted out laughing.

I tried to compose myself but before I was successful, he started laughing. By God he has the most amazing laugh, I couldn't help but laugh again. This was the moment I realized...I really like- maybe even love- this man I only met recently.

After a few seconds, we were finally calm again. For the longest time, we just gazed into each other's eyes. His eyes were so deep, you could drown, and there was so much emotion in them. The way he looked at me made my heart flutter. _Does he feel the same way too?_

I patted the empty space on the bed next to me. "Come sit," I said. Hopefully he realizes that I'm more comfortable with him. After all, him and Sam did fix a condition I've had for the past two months.

Well I guess he didn't know because he slowly and hesitantly made his way over. Of course he didn't get under the covers, now that I wasn't ready for, but he did sit close to me which was nice. I layed down, grabbed his hand, and snuggled close to him. His hand felt like it fit perfectly with mine, and it felt right to be like this. Just then, I remembered something!

"Jacob?" I asked.

"Yes Sora?" He sounded tired too.

"Did I- did I hurt you when I was squeezing the crap out of your hand?"

He smiled at me and rubbed my back, "No, hun. Even if you had, I heal fast," He smirked.

I punched his arm and smiled. "That's good," I said feeling my eyelids getting heavy. "I'm still sorry though."

"Don't worry about it. I'm fine. Now get some sleep," he whispered in my ear. And at that, I closed my eyes and slept peacefully.


	7. Tell me

I woke up around 10:30 the next morning. When I opened my eyes, Jacob wasn't there. _Was it all a dream? _Just then, my sensitive nose picked up a heavenly aroma coming from outside my room, my stomach growled. First thing's first though...I need a shower.

I got out of bed and started towards the door. I layed my hand on the knob, but didn't turn it. I realized that this would be my first time out of this room. I took a deep breath and opened the door. Right across the hall was another door...with a note on it. I walked up to the door, the note said:

_Sora. I knew you would be looking for the bathoom soon, and noticed that you didn't have any toiletries._

Crap! This was true, I totally forgot.

_So I took the liberty of buying everything I thought you would need, with the help of my wife. I hope we got everything you need._

_Sam._

Great! Not only do I owe him for housing, but now for this! Looks like I'm gonna be running triple patrols.

I entered the bathroom, and Sam hadn't lied. On the counter by the sink was a toothbrush, toothpaste, deoderant, time-of-the-month supplies, shampoo and conditioner. _Thank you Sam!_ On the toilet by the bathtub/shower were fresh towels. I quickly learned how to work the shower and hopped in. I didn't want to use up all the hot water, but I wanted to savor the feeling for as long as possible. _Definately better than the freezing river water._ I turned off the shower and stepped out, but after doing so, I really wanted back in.

I wrapped myself in the fresh, fluffy white towel and brushed my teeth. I went back across the hall to get dressed real quick, then started towards the aroma feeling magnificant. Who knew you could feel so good by getting a good nights rest and a warm shower?

My nose led me to a cozy little kitchen with blue wallpaper and shiny counters. There was a woman with a scar on the right side of her face arranging muffins and scrambled eggs. She looked up at me, quickly wiped her hands on her apron, and stuck a hand out.

"Hi. My name is Emily. I'm Sam's wife." She said and smiled.

I grabbed her hand awkwardly and said, "I'm Sora. Thank you so much for the toiletries. I really appreciate it."

"No problem. I insisted on coming...Sam doesn't know anything about women," she said and winked at me. I smiled at her and she smiled back.

"Where _is _Sam? Is Jacob with him?" Well don't I just sound like a love-struck teenager.

"Oh they're just on morning patrol. They're usually back by 11:00. You can eat while you wait."

"Thank you." I took three huge muffins and four spoonfuls of eggs. I guess we have a huge appetite too.

I was just starting to eat when Emily suddenly asked, "Oh before I forgot! Sam wanted to know when you wanted to meet the rest of the pack."

I thought for a minute and then said, "Maybe later this evening. I really need to talk to Jake first."

"Alrighty. I'll be sure to tell him." I really like her. She's kind and easy to get along with. I resumed eating with a smile on my face.

Never did it spark an interest in me to figure out how much food I could fit in my mouth, until now. I was scarfing these muffins and eggs down at lightening speed and in four swallows, I was finished. I got up to wash my plate, but when I got to the sink, it was stacked high with dishes. I guess the pack was here before I woke up. I started washing, it's the least I could do after all. Emily started to protest, but I just gave her a look saying _I'm gonna do this whether you want me to or not. _She went straight back to putting leftovers away.

I was just wiping the counter off when I smelled a very familiar scent. I smiled, quickening my clean up. I hung the rag up, and at the same time, Jacob and Sam walked in.

Jake saw me and this huge grin broke out across his face. I ran over to him at high speed and jumped, giving him the biggest hug I could. He seemed a little surprised at first but eventually hugged me back. To be honest, I was a little surprised myself, but I didn't care.

I got down and almost forgot what I needed to ask him. "Jake!" He looked at me and smiled, rising an eyebrow which almost made me forgot what I was going to ask again. "Do you want to go to the beach in a little while...after you get cleaned up?"

He acted like he was thinking, but I knew it was fake because it was _way _too dramatic. I giggled and at that, he looked at me, smiled and said, "Alright. Give me fifteen minutes." Great! Once he leaves, I can finally ask Sam about these strong feelings I have towards him. Surely it's a wolf thing.

Jake gave me a quick wave, then hurried off to the bathroom. I heard the shower turn on, so I told Sam to come over to the table and sit as I did so.

"What's wrong?" He asked, genuinely concerned.

"Nothing really. I was just wondering..." I couldn't finish, I was too afraid of the answer I might get.

"Go on Sora. I'm your alpha, you can always talk to me." Emily came up behind him and that reassured me.

"Well, I was just wondering..." I paused and took a deep breath, "when you see a certain person, like, for the first time...and you instantly have very strong feelings for them, even though you've never met them. Does being a werewolf make you do that?"

Sam and Emily looked at each other. All that reassurance just went out the window. Emily nodded at Sam, and he turned back to me. He opened his mouth like he was going to say something but changed his mind and closed it again.

"Please. Tell me..." I pleaded. I really needed to know this.

"Sora...there is a term for what your feeling." Great, I'm insane! "It's not a mental condition, I promise. You're right, it is a wolf thing." He paused. "It's called imprinting."

He let me absorb that, but I still had no clue what he meant. I was about to ask, but he held up his hand to tell me to hang on, then continued, "You've read fairytales, right?" I nodded. _Still clueless! _I have no idea where he's going with this. "Well, the saying 'love-at-first-sight' is used in almost every story. And that's basically what imprinting is. When you imprint, you've found your 'soulmate'."

Why couldn't he have just said the last part? My brain instantly clicked when he said that. Jacob came out and saw how tense we all were. I perked up and went to his side. "Thank you Sam," I said and smiled at him. He still had a concerned look on his face when Jake and I left the house and started towards to beach.

"What were you guys so serious about?" he asked, still worried.

"Nothing you need to worry about." I can't believe that he's my soulmate. _Interesting._ I wonder if he feels the same way. I couldn't tell him yet, we should give each other some time. Despite my conscience's warning, I grabbed Jake's hand as we continued toward First Beach.


	8. Secrets and the Pack

I remember once when I was little, I got to visit the reservation of La Push. Out of all the places we visited, First Beach was my absolute favorite. Although the water was always freezing cold, the whole evironment was extremely relaxing. Feeling the now warm water, reminds me how much I've changed and how much time has passed. I will be seventeen tomorrow.

"What are you thinking about?" Jacob asked. I hadn't noticed how deep in thought I was until I heard the sound of his voice that snapped me back to reality.

I wanted to ease his now worried face. "Nothing," whimpy answer. Damn it! I instantly regretted it when his face became pained.

His eyebrows pulled together, "You know you can tell me anything. I won't tell anyone. It'll be just between you and me," he said and smiled. I don't know if he was telling the truth or not, but then again...I didn't care.

I looked in his eyes and knew that he wasn't lying. I took a deap breath, gathering my thoughts and started, "Well...tomorrow..." I couldn't finish. It's not even that big of a deal, but I was afraid they would make it that way.

"What about tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow is...my birthday. But, I don't want anyone making a big deal about it. I hate my birthday."

Surprisingly, he laughed. "That's all? Really? I thought it was something more serious, like your back-" he caught himself, but I still heard it. I guess he didn't want to ask that yet.

I sighed, "That's something else I was thinking about. You know...I'm adopted." I looked at his suprised expression. "Yeah. So my adoptive parents thought that it would be a good idea for me to meet my real parents." I said sarcastically. I frowned at the memory of being with my real parents. "I met them and...they seemed nice at first, but after a week...that's when everything changed.

"I quickly learned that my dad as well as my mom had a _huge_ drinkning problem. First it was small things, like yelling and cussing at me for nohing. Then, they started getting violent..." My voice broke off as I tryed to fight back my tears. "My mom occasoinally slapped me, but that was nothing compared to my dad. He did everything to me, and...if you were wondering about how my back got so messed up...it's because one day, he pushed me into a closet, drunk as usual, and beat me with a table leg...multiple times."

I couldn't tell him- anyone- the full reason...that's a secret I _had_ to keep. It feels great to finally have told atleast half of it. I looked at Jake, he was trembling all over. Now I'm really glad I didn't tell him the other half.

Even though he was angry, I felt touched to have someone care that much for me. I couldn't hold my tears back anymore, so I let them spill over the rims of my eyes. He saw this and came over and wrapped his arms around me.

"I will _never _let anyone hurt you ever again, Sora. You understand? Never!" he whispered in my ear.

"Oh Jake! I'm so glad to have met someone like you," I said, then started sobbing into his chest.

* * *

They sky started darkening while Jake and I were lost in eachother's words. I only noticed when Jake said he was getting hungry. I was as well, so we started heading back. We talked comfortably and walked hand in hand, a warm feeling in my heart the whole time.

We were just getting close to Sam's when i felt Jake's arm tense. I looked up and saw that his face had gone hard and expressionless. Only then did i notice that we had arrived in front of Sam's house the familiar scent. It smelled like Sam and Jake, but also very different. We were coming up the porch and i stopped before the last step. I'll be honest, I was scared as hell.

Jake rested his hand on my terrified face. "Don't worry. It's just the rest of the pack, they're excited to finally meet you. There's nothing to be afraid of."

In a small voice, I replied,"I know...I forgot that I told Sam I would meet them tonight. Time just kinda slipped away...I can't believe I'm meeting them."

"Well It was bound to happen," he smiled and squeezed my hand. "Stay close to me."

_How could I be scared with him with me? _I took a deep breath and took the last step to the front door. I paused and looked up at his confident face. When he nodded, I turned the knob and proceded inside.

We instantly heard a group of loud voices, but the loudest were of Sam and a russet skinned man. "I just don't understand why you kept this from the rest of the pack," the man yelled.

Sam was straight faced, but i could tell he was on the border line of tranforming by how hard he was trembling. "Paul, calm down. You know how your temper gets. If you'll just let me explain-"

"Hey! There she is! Finally!" said a small, but still tall and equally furocious man. He was pointing straight at me with a huge grin across his face. I froze and Jake instantly stepped in front of me."Didn't your mom tell you it's not polite to point Quil?" I hate feeling like a victim but there murmurs were holding me in place.

I didn't know exactly where each comment was coming from. They were saying things like, "Wow! She's pretty," and, "Another girl? Sweet!" and, "Look. Leah's getting jealous." Then one comment stood out from the rest. "Look at her eyes. They're so intersting looking." It was like a slap to the face. One of the many things Jake and I had talked about was how selfconscience I was about my eyes. I knew they were different...I used to get teased in school about them because they weren't "normal." They didn't know any better, but it still hurt.

Many of the kids would do one of two things: ignore me, or stare at me. Either one they chose, I still felt isolated. I would try to play with them, but they would all run away. It was like I had a virus and if they touched me then they would get it too. There would be ocassional kids who would try to befriend me, but then there parents would tell them otherwise. I've never had any friends, or atleast not any I felt close to.

When I finally came back to reality, I found Paul studying me. He had a look of curiousity on his face that made me pissed. I decided that I needed to man up. Hell! I was going to spend a long time with them so I might as well.

I took a deep breath and gathered my composure, then stepped out from behind Jake and walked forward. He tried to grab my wrist but I looked back and shook my head. He dropped his hand and knew I had to do this myself. Paul stayed where he was while I walked toward him. I noticed that he, as well as the other members of the pack, were all significantly taller than me. _Damn. Guess I'm the runt of the litter._

I stuck out my chin, stood as tall as I could, looked him straight in the eye and stuck out my hand. "My name is Sora and I guess that I'm a part of the pack now."

He kept looking at me for a while and I thought I said something wrong, but then he let out a chuckle and grabbed my hand. "Well aren't you cute. It's good to meet you finally, Sora. I'm Paul. That lazy bum on the couch behind me is Jared."

I saw a hand wave, but no face and heard a, "Yo."

Paul looked to the kitchen and gestured to the two men sitting on the table, "Those two knuckleheads are Embry and Quil."

I recognized Quil as the one who made the comment about my eyes and quickly looked away from him. He must've seen the hurt in my eyes because he said, "Hey. I'm sorry about what I said. I really like them; they look cool." I looked back to meet his gaze and knew he was telling the truth. "Forgive me?" He winked and smiled at me.

I laughed and said, "Yeah. Of course."

I looked at Embry then and he said, "Well i'm gonna be nice unlike this jerk," he tilted his head towards Quil, "and say right off the bat that I love them."

That made me smile and I looked at the last person, who was sitting at the bar. He's the smallest of the men but still taller than me. He jumped down with an, "Oh!" and came rigt up to me and said, "Uh, hi. I'm Seth. I'm new too." Then he lowered his voice and said, "Just transformed last week."

I really like this boy, he reminded me of my older brother. "Well, then us newbs got to stick together," I said with a wink. He giggled and went back to the bar.

"See, we aren't as scary as you thought she would think," said Paul to Sam, who had been standing back during the whole introduction.

"Guess I underestimated her. Sorry, Sora," he said with a sheepish smile.

"Not a problem. Actually you're right, Paul. You guys are just like puppies not wolfs," I said and winked.

Everyone laughed and Paul said with a huge grin, "Oh, I like her. She's spunky."

"Well, we've been out all day so I think we should let her chill out. She has her first patrol tomorrow," Jake said as he came to stand by me.

Paul looked from him to me, and back to him. Finally, he just shrugged and said, "Alright. Good I have patrol tomorrow cuz I'm not done talking to you. See ya'." Then he walked out.

"Yeah, I'm out too. Gotta go see Kim before it gets too late." Jared said and got up. He paused in front of me, stuck his hand out and said, "Nice meetin' ya'." I took it and we shook shortly before he followed Paul.

Jared had just gotten to the door when a woman bursted in with a sneer on her face. She shoved past him and he growled at her. She gave him a dirty look then yelled, "Seth! Mom wants you home. Now!"

Seth's shoulders slumped when he got off the bar stool and said, "Jeeze, Leah. Do you have to yell it and embarrass me in front of Sora."

She snorted and said, "Well you knew when you were supposed to be home. Not my fault."

She grabbed Seth's arm then turned and looked at me with a dangerous look in her eye, then she walked off with Seth in tow. I heard a faint, "Bye," from Seth before they disappeared.

"God she's a bitch," said Embry from the kitchen. He and Quil got up and walked over to me. "I would say that she doesn't usually act like that, but that would be a lie. It was good meeting you. See you tomorrow."

"I'll see you later," said Quil, then they walked away.

"Well, that was a trip. Quite a bunch of characters, huh? Hope none scared you too bad and sorry about Leah," Sam said and went to sit on the couch.

"They were suprisingly...charming."

Sam looked back, then started laughing which made me and Jake laugh. I tryed to stifle a yawn, but it slipped out.

"Looks like I was right in saying you were tired. You should eat then go to bed. Got a long day tomorrow," Jake said and grabbed my hand. I squeezed it, grabbed a leftover muffin from this morning and said goodnight to Sam, then we went to sleep. Tomorrow was my first patrol, so I needed a lot of rest.


End file.
